News
Cadwell Park 30 August
Pressure off as they say. I’m delighted to get through to the Shootout and have to thank the whole team as they played a very important part. There were no heroics today from me and I’m in a position a lot of other riders would love to be in. Now we can take our GSX-R1000 to the final three circuits, have fun and hopefully mix it with the title favourites. No one will be expecting me to win the championship, but then no one expected me to be on the top step of the podium at Brands. I’m really enjoying my first season in the BSB series with Relentless by TAS Suzuki, so let’s see if we can deliver some more big results in September and October.
Brand Hatch 7-8 August
Saturday - I got good starts today and that made the difference. I had some front-end issues in the dry part of the race, and in the re-start in the wet I had loads of slides on white lines and the kerbs, but managed with it okay. My visor steamed up so I opened it, but with the wind streaming into my eyes I had to shut it again. We held on for the win and it’s all credit to my Relentless by TAS Suzuki team and our superb GSX-R1000 Superbike that we made the top step.
This is what I’ve always wanted in racing and now that I’ve sampled it I’d like more of the same. A big thanks to all the team sponsors, and also those who have helped me over the years and brought me to this stage of my career, including my family.
Sunday - I’ve gone from hero to zero this weekend. The boys did a great job building a complete bike for me so I could take part in the second race. I got a bad start in race two but composed myself and pushed my way through and onto the back of Easton. We had caught John Laverty but the rear end came right round on me down into turn one and that was the day over. It has been a tough day, but you get them now and again, but on the positive side – we are still 10 points in front of seventh place, so it’s all to play for at Cadwell Park. I can’t thank the team enough today for their efforts in getting me back out on track
Snetterton - 17-18 July
In that last race Ellison left the door open and as I was catching Michael Laverty and Michael Rutter I had to have a go. Ellison looked like he was dropping off the pace after Rutter passed him. I just grabbed a little too much front brake and lost the front, or I’d have been through. My bike just tagged the back of him and he went down but that’s racing – it wasn’t intentional and thankfully he’s not injured. In race one I struggled to get off the line but once I got into third place I was determined to hold on. Ellison did have a sniff and nudged me into the Esses, so it was nice to get another podium. We are back at the sharp end now and I’m really looking forward to Brands Hatch.
Knockhill - 4 July
I dropped back down the pack on the opening lap in race one, but I picked them off and got right back onto Michael at the end. Unfortunately by that stage, my tyre had chewed up and I was sliding going in and out of the turns. We got some good points on the board today but it's just a pity the second race was red flagged. I made a good start and had just passed Kiyo for third place and was lining up Rutter when the red flag went out. We are still in the hunt and with an extra race at Snetterton in a couple of week's time, I have a good chance to get back into that sixth place in the championship standings.
Mallory Park - 27 June
My goal was to score solid points today and from fourth and third row grid positions I think we did okay, but it was a tough day at the office. I would have been happier to be well inside the top ten, but we battled hard and stay within fighting distance of the top six leaving Mallory. I was closing down on ninth in the first race and just ran out of laps and in race two I had a few small problems that I had to work around. All in all we’ve kept in on track and scored points, so I’m now looking forward to Knockhill where I’ve had some success in the past on the Superstock GSX-R1000.
Cadwell Park - 23 May 2010
John Reynolds told me weekends like this are charcter building and I have to agree. We struggled with set-up early in the weekend and my tip off at Charlie’s in qualifying knocked my confidence a bit, but I’m not making excuses. The boys helped me a lot and we made some changes to the bike over night, which transformed it and helped my confidence. With only three bikes to a row here at Cadwell it makes qualifying so important. I got beaten up a bit at the start of race one by Brogie; after that I put the hammer down and picked them off for ninth. In race two I got a better start but took a while to get dialled in, but seventh wasn’t so bad and we took six tenths off my best lap from the opening race.
NW200 - 15 May 2010
I suppose it hasn’t really sunk in yet that I’ve broken Phillip McCallen’s 13-year-old record, but I came here for wins this week and the NW200 Superbike race is the one every rider wants to take home; now it’s mine! I really enjoyed the celebrations with the team and it was great to see what it meant to the fans at the end – they were cheering like a football crowd in the grandstands.
It’s been a great day and I’m also delighted to have proven the strength and quality of Suzuki’s GSX-R600 in the Supersport class. It was cat and mouse and with those boys either side of me in race one into Juniper it was always going to be the bravest man that would win – thankfully it was me.
This is the place where I started to make a name for myself in racing even though I’m known as a circuit racer, so I’m delighted to be back winning, but I couldn’t have done it without the support of everyone in the Relentless by TAS Suzuki team. My BSB team-mate Michael Laverty was even here today; now I have to get my head back into gear for next weekend’s BSB round at Cadwell Park, but this is a nice wee boost for everyone involved.
Oulton Park 1/2/3 May 2010
I am a bit frustrated about not getting on the podium in race one, but there’s no point moaning about it. I missed a gear and fought back to fourth so we have to be pleased with that after a tough weekend at the previous round. In race two I spun up going off the line and ended up bashing bars and fairings mid-pack. I got my head down and just tried to be smooth on the throttle and when I got onto the back of Josh Brookes he was all over the place. His tyre was obviously in worse condition than mine at that stage, so to get past for sixth was a good result in difficult conditions. I’m learning all the time about this Superbike and I’ve stayed fit and healthy with the North West 200 just over a week away – so that’s a big positive
Thruxton 17/18 April
The team will take the positives from a tough weekend at Thruxton during the second round of the 2010 British Superbike Championship.
Both myself [12th & 9th] and Michael [10th & 6th] battled after we both had qualifying crashes and a number of minor problems during both races, scoring solid points that keeps us both in the top ten and at the sharp end in the championship table: Me at fifth and Michael tenth.
I took a gamble with set-up in race one and battled to 12th place. For the second outing I reverted to my qualifying set-up, and although I found Thruxton a tough proposition on my full Superbike debut, ninth place keeps me well in the championship hunt.
I tried a different set-up for the first race but it didn’t work for me, so we reverted back to the old set-up for race two. It all hooked up a lot better and instead of the tyre going off at half distance, we were right on the money until it deteriorated about four laps from the end. The track control works over-time around here and it’s a tough circuit to perfect your set-up on. At least we got more points in the bag and remain top five in the championship. Thanks to all the boys in the team as it’s been a tough weekend with all the travel problems and burning the midnight oil fixing bikes.”
Philip Neill – BSB Team Principal said “It’s been a tough weekend for the whole team for a number of reasons, but we will take the positives from Thruxton. We haven’t come away with the results we had hoped for after a strong start on Friday, with both boys posting top three times, but we scored solid points today.
"Both riders started the weekend with a lot of confidence but their crashes during practice set them back a bit and we also had our fair share of little problems – not least an all night session for the boys to rebuild Michael’s bike, after its excursion over the infamous Thruxton kerbs. With flights cancelled Alastair also had a long drive to the circuit from Northern Ireland at the last minute, which isn’t ideal preparation, but something that couldn’t be avoided.
5th April - Had a great day today, finished 4th in the first race and just missed out on the podium but managed to get 3rd place in the second race. I am really pleased. I have gelled really well with the bike and the team have done a great job.
4 April - I qualified on the front row, putting in a time to qualify 3rd fastest.
2 April - good day's practice today where I managed to put the fastest time in for free practice. Click here to see write up from BSB Website.
23 March - I have had a good day testing today, experiencing Cadwell Park for the first time on a full-blown Superbike and closely matching the 1m:29s bracket Stuart Easton was setting before he unfortunately crashed out.
22 March - I am at Bedford Autodrome today with Michael as its the BSB Media Day so we are there with all the other teams doing interviews and having pictures taken. Tuesday, we are at Cadwell for a day of testing with some of the other teams. I will let you know how it goes.
9 March - Unfortunately, due to SNOW of all things, testing at Guadix has had to be halted for today. BSN News report here and below, a picture taken this morning!
7 March - Report from BSB Site with Phillip Neill about the week's testing in Cartagena, click here
4 March - The first day of testing in Cartagena has gone well. The weather is sunny and warm, I got 4 sessions in today and am learning the track. There are no timings, just a stopwatch being used to give us an idea of how things are setting up. More testing tomorrow and I am looking forward to it.
March 2010 - I am leaving for Cartagena and then Guadix in Spain on 3 March. I will be testing the bikes ready for the new season at Cartagena on Thursday (4th), Friday (5th) and Saturday (6th) and then travelling to Guadix for more testing the following Tues (9th). I will let you know how it all goes.
The Civic Reception held in my honour on 20 January went really well. Click here to see some pictures from the event.
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METZELER NATIONAL SUPERSTOCK 1000 CHAMPION 2009
IRISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPION 2009
I would like to say a huge thank you to Hector and Philip Neill of Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing, all the sponsors and family and friends for all their fantastic support this year. Thank you everyone.
Race News
News for 2010 Season - It was announced at the NEC Bike Show in November that I will be riding in the Superbike class for Relentless TAS Suzuki next year. The announcement took place at the Suzuki stand in front of the media and the Suzuki GB personnel. I'm really looking forward to the testing programme in March and to the season ahead.
2 October - It has been confirmed that I will be riding the full superbike at Oulton Park next weekend. Philip and the team have decided to let me loose on the superbike with considerable more horsepower (175bhp of the superstock engine compared to 200+ of the superbike) and full traction control.
Team owner Philip Neill said: "The job is done with the Evo bike. Alastair proved a point that the new rules will work. Let's park that now and see what he can do on the superbike." I am really looking forward to trying it out!
27 September - I had my first outing at Silverstone in the Superbike class riding the new Evolution spec bike. In the first race, I had to pull in on lap 18 due to a broken bolt on the suspension but was back out for race 2 and had a great battle with Chris Walker to end up finishing 10th overall. It was a really enjoyable race and I would like to thank Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing for giving me this opportunity.
It has been confirmed that I will be riding in the Superbike round at Silverstone. Please click here for further details.
Anglesey - 19-20 Sept - I got a hat trick on my 2009 GSX-R1000 Superbike during the series' annual trip to Anglesey at the weekend.
I have missed nine races in the 2009 ISB Championship prior to the event due to British Championship commitments, but the 3 wins on the west coast made it nine wins from nine starts, putting me to the top of the table with only five races remaining.
I also shaved over half a second off the existing track lap record at the 2.1-mile International Circuit.
The configuration of Superbike chassis and 'stock motor worked well in the GSX-R1000 at Anglesey, and apart from the first race of the weekend, I was never headed. We were under the lap record as early as lap four or five during our first practice session and to shave over half a second off the circuit record again proves how good the 2009 bike really is. We did have to adjust a few bits and pieces to suit the circuit, and I must thank our mechanic Leigh for all his help.
Cadwell Park 31 August - Today I clinched the National Superstock 1000 title by taking victory in race number 9 of the season. My closest rival in the Championship, Steve Brogan, crashed out which left me with a big enough points gap to take the title with 3 races left to go.
Brands Hatch 9 August - I have won race 8 out of 8 of the superstock championship. Had a great start and took the lead and then unfortunately the race was red flagged. Got back on pole for the restart and got away in front and stayed there until the race was red flagged again. The race was declared a result.
Kirkistown ISB 14 July - I have won both Superbike races on the Superstock GSXR 1000 K9 and set a new lap record.
Knockhill 5 July - I have won both races at Knockhill and have set a new lap record of 50
The team set a plan to get to the front early and lead throughout. Brogan set a blistering pace in the opening laps of race two but I hung in there, and when he tired in the closing stages I got to the front and pulled the pin. The 2009 GSX–R1000 had more steam up through the start and finish, so I just put my head down and got on with it. It’s pleasing to win at Knockhill and more pleasing to get another couple of wins for Suzuki, Relentless and all our sponsors.
PRESS RELEASE 22/04/2009 - Parting Company with JMF
In the 2008 Superstock class of the British Superbike series Alastair Seeley rode an R1 Yamaha machine into fourth spot for sponsor Rea Estates while at home in Ireland he rode the JMF Millsport Yamahas winning the North West 200 and Mondello Masters events. As well as North West Superstock win he was also on the podium twice in the Supersport class finishing second to Steve Plater on both occasions.
In its short history JMF Millsport has been essentially a pure road racing team but wanted one of Ireland's best riders on their bikes so persuaded Seeley to ride their bikes at all his events in 2009 and as a result Seeley's sponsors Rea Estates, William Watt Cars Sales, DB Tiles,Northern Lift, Slemish Water, Knox, Arai, Berik and Arlen Ness all agreed to join forces with JMF Millsport to provide bikes for the prestigious British Superstock series and Ireland's premier event, the North West 200 as well as the Mondello Masters series.
However, JMF Millsport have now decided they don't want to be traveling to England for the BSB series and want to concentrate on the road races and are in talks with American rider Jimmy Moore. After winning the first round of the Superstock championship at Brands Hatch Seeley has been working hard trying to find another Yamaha in time for second round at Oulton Park on the 4th of May. The problem lies with the supply of the new Yamahas because they are only just starting to arrive into the country and are all spoken for. Two bikes were ear marked for Seeley by Yamaha UK but these have been delivered to JMF Millsport, now not racing in England, leaving him with an uphill battle to find something to ride at Oulton Park consequently is having to consider Suzuki or Honda
machinery because of the difficulty in getting the much sought after Yamaha R1.
Seeley said “Its very disappointing for this to happen especially after having such a good start to the BSB season. JMF wanted me to ride under their banner all year so I abandoned my own team from last year to ride for them and now I have to rebuild that team in such a short space of time. It isn't an impossible task and am working at it because I don't want to let anyone down and I do feel my sponsors have been let down, they are more disappointed than me at the moment with the way things have turned out.”
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As always, if you or anyone you know would like to become a sponsor and be part of the team feel free to contact me on 07756406798 or 02893 351365 or email me at alastair@alastairseeleyracing.co.uk or alastairseeley9@hotmail.co.uk
Interview with Maurice Montgomery - Fotobikes
Carricks Alastair Seeley won the opening round of the big money Mondello Masters series last Sunday. Riding the Millsport R1 Yamaha the local rider came 6th at the end of the opening lap to pass race leader Declan Swanton two laps from the end of the ten lapper to win by over seven seconds. “The main reason for going to Mondello was for the masters and now that I have won the opening round I can go to round two with confidence and maybe even win all three as there is a good bonus paid to anyone who can win the lot. The Masters race was a tricky one as the track was wet after a heavy shower just before they called us to the line. I went out with wets front and rear but after the sighting lap I noticed that the sun had came out and the track was drying fast. While they were doing the interviews on the line I made a last minute decision to change to a dry tyre on the rear. When the starting lights went out the rear spun up and I lost a lot of ground to the leaders off the line. My Millsport Yamaha however was going really well and I took it easy on the damp parts and went quick on the dry parts in the early stages and soon made up the time on the front men . With two laps to go I had the leader, Swanton, in my sights, got passed him and by the chequered flag had pulled out seven and a half seconds. My fastest lap was less than half a second slower than my fastest ever around Mondello and that was on a full blown superbike, so I am happy with the bike, the same one I will use at the NW 200”. Commented a happy Alastair. At the same meeting Alastair raced in three superbike races. After qualifying 13th , a disappointing result for the local rider he changed from Dunlop to Pirelli tyres. “I couldn’t get to grips with them. They felt really hard and I couldn’t get them to work so I changed to the Pirelli’s and got on fine with them”. In the first superbike race on Saturday he finished second on a dry track only half a second behind race winner Gary Johnston on the Uel Duncan Fireblade Honda. The second superbike race was on Sunday morning and he again took second this time behind Brian McCormick after passing Jack Kennedy two corners from the finish. “I had the speed in the dry but not enough laps to make up for my disappointing grid position. Still I had the fastest lap in both races”. In his third superbike outing he took sixth. “With the Masters my next race I did not want to take any chances in the slippery conditions”.
November 2009 - I will be going to Australia in early November to take part in the Kings of Wanneroo International at Barbagallo Raceway Wanneroo on November 7, 8 and 9. Please click this link to see more information.
18 October - It was the ISB round and Sunflower meeting at Bishopscourt this weekend where I finished 2nd in the first race, slipped off in the Sunflower race and won the last race which means that I have won the Irish Superbike Championship.
3-4 October - I have been at Mondello this weekend and have won 3 Irish Superbike rounds and the Mondello Masters race. I have also managed to set a new lap record of 52.7s.
November 6 2009 - News from Australia at the Kings of Wanneroo meeting is that my combined qualifying times put me 6th fastest with a 2nd row start. Please click here to see information on times and positions.